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High Energy Physics - Theory

Title:
PT-symmetric interpretation of the electromagnetic self-force

Abstract: In 1980 Englert examined the classic problem of the electromagnetic
self-force on an oscillating charged particle. His approach, which was based on
an earlier idea of Bateman, was to introduce a charge-conjugate particle and to
show that the two-particle system is Hamiltonian. Unfortunately, Englert's
model did not solve the problem of runaway modes, and the corresponding quantum
theory had ghost states. It is shown here that Englert's Hamiltonian is PT
symmetric, and that the problems with his model arise because the PT symmetry
is broken at both the classical and quantum level. However, by allowing the
charged particles to interact and by adjusting the coupling parameters to put
the model into an unbroken PT-symmetric region, one eliminates the classical
runaway modes and obtains a corresponding quantum system that is ghost free.